[RESIN] toy thread

For a while now, I've been meaning to start a new thread specifically focusing on resin toys. It seems up until now, there have been just a few scattered threads here and there about Ben's and servbot30's toys (well, and the bitchfest about the OMFG toys). Obviously, hearing about Ben and Lil B's toys is cool because they're "local", but despite what y'all might think, there ARE actually quite a few resin-cast toys out there that *might* actually appeal to the type of folks on this board--some of which that are even free of the usual political trappings of "designer toys"! My goal with this thread is to consolidate news and reviews of these toys into one place. And hopefully keep it free of pissy debates. Yeah right! ;)

First up, I want to talk about some local guys I've just started to get to know: Halfbad Toyz. I've actually had their unpainted green-glow Skekiltor for a while, but it wasn't until last week, when Jon showed up to help fix the Goldrake ride that I got to see some other stuff they've done. Jon brought Smash Tokyo's Centurion, a 5" robot figure designed by an Australian company, but manufactured by Halfbad:

This was actually a bit nicer than I thought it'd be (indicating I wasn't expecting to like it). I'm just not feeling the sculpt at all: it's clearly trying to hit on the classic Popy style we're all quite familiar with here...but I think it misses the mark. As for the toy, itself, the finish is somewhat rough...micro-pitted. But the casting is clean, so I'm guessing the master they worked with was hand-carved or something. Not a bad thing--just interesting to note.

This particular figure was cast in clear red resin infused with glitter. It's actually pretty nice to look at...especially in different lighting! Photographs don't do glitter and other such effects justice because what makes them look good is how they shift so dramatically in the light and appear different to each eye (something impossible to capture in a still image).

Anyway, I just wasn't impressed overall. The shoulder joints are very simple plugs that you sort of mash into the holes. One was kinda loose and didn't fit perfectly flush. Also, the head appears to be articulated (because it was clearly cast separately), but the joint is glued. Meh.

Next up was an original toy made by Halfbad. Umm...I think it was called "Robit" or something. They're flat (open molded) 3" figures that obviously pay homage to classic non-character zenmai robots:

These I really dig. Yeah, it'd be nice if baby got back...but they're $5. Can't go wrong. And because Jon is a helluva guy, he actually gave me the unpainted glowie (glow shots a-coming...)! The paint job on the grey one is simply superb. This is classic miniature wargaming paint style: the subtle drybrushing is gorgeous and the use of gloss paint for *just* the eyes is a perfect touch. Sure, it's not gonna blow your mind, but these are very, very tight, and make nice low-calorie buys.

--
Sanjeev

'Us Massholes straight up just don't give a fuck. I still pronounce "Mazinger" as "Tranzor Z".'
-Nekrodave

Ah, but now here's what I've been really looking forward to posting from Halfbad Toyz: then next figure in their 4" all-original "FOEZ" series of monsters (of which, Skekiltor was the first)...Podiagon. I preordered a limited release of these guys [don't worry: they're made to order and the preorder window was clearly posted...so if you wanted one, all you had to do was ask!]: unpainted glow violet.

Holy FUCK. Violet, you sons of bitches. That "Chief Glowologist" gland in my brain instantly started pumping nearly-forgotten chemicals into my dome and made me click "add to cart".

I am not disappointed.

The figure is articulated, comes with an accessory, and is one BIG chunky bastard.

He comes bagged and tagged like your typical vinyl...though he's unassembled. The header features some neat artwork of Podiagon's face and other info on the back. I have mixed feelings about the header card: it's printed in color, but on regular paper...so it's all flimsy and wrinkly. But then again, who gives a shit about header cards?

Anyway, once you take him out, you plug his arms into the shoulders and stick the tiny baby-leg-looking antennae to his head (which are actually really funny looking!). The arms attach in very tightly, but its still a somewhat crude plug-hole arrangement. I don't foresee them wearing down, but the movement isn't super-smooth and the arms can pop out from twisting them a lot. They obviously push back in easily for a sturdy fit, but this is obviously something you wouldn't find in a typical action figure, and I'd love to see someone come up with a better solution.

The little feet-antennae on his head don't really hold with any strength at all--they just sorta sit there. I'll probably glue them in at some point...but then again, I kinda dig the way he looks without them!

But finally, we have his accessory: a cool-looking double-barreled gun! This thing is absolutely flawless. Fits in his hand super-tight and the weight it adds doesn't affect the shoulder joint or tip over the figure at all. In my opinion, the gun kinda makes the figure!

Incidentally, on two of the three monitors I've seen the photos on, they glow color looks VERY Smurf-blue. In actuality, it's more violet. My camera is dying as it is...but I don't think it ever quite got the hues right in my glow shots...

Like I said, I kinda dig the antenna-less look! Honestly, though, I just got annoyed with them falling out every seven seconds. I'll probably just glue the fuckers in!

Anyway, I kinda wish the figure I got were painted...just for the purposes of reviewing. Obviously, ya can't really see how dope the sculpt is with these sorta washed-out pics. I had to boost the contrast just to get some of the detail to show up. And the glow shots don't help any either--just a big blob of violet! :P But trust me, the detail is fucking intense.

And finally, we have a group shot! All the way on the left is Toygraph's Doctor Serizawa acting as our "control", since he's a great example of Japanese glow vinyl. To the right of Podiagon is the Robit Jon gave me and Skekiltor. The Robit and Skekiltor are obviously resin infused with green glow powder (strontium aluminate...the good shit), so you KNOW they're gonna be glowing all night. But the violet Podiagon? That shit is BEAST. It takes *significantly* longer to charge the violet pigment, apparently--and a blacklight is a must--but it will glow all night...and well into the next fucking morning. I sleep late...in a fucking cave...next to my glow toys...so I know.

Anyway, VERY cool toy. I'm definitely looking forward to what these guys come up with in the future!

It's actually sorta fortunate timing for a resin thread, but because I have a new set of figures debuting today, that are going to be available for the first time at the FOE Monster Invitational show opening on Friday:

I've still totally got to get one or two of those Podiogons as well... I love my Skekiltors, but the addition of articulation just makes Poddy so much cooler. Dude's even got a removable accessory... and to think, there are people in the 'designer toy world' that say resin figures can't be 'real toys'. Here's one of my Skekiltors with just a touch of paint:

I also totally have one of those Robits, which I got to watch the Halfbad crew cast live for me at an event at FOE. They're actually molded in a silicone ice cube tray, which is why they have no back. Even though they clearly mentioned that on their site, some dipshits pitched a fit that they weren't 'an original design' when they never claimed they were. Fucking fun toys is what they are.

Also pictured is one of my E.killers, a Microfighter, and Joshb's frikken rad Nurikabe. Behind these guys is the rest of my resin collection, which someday I promise I will finally photograph.

While we're on the subject, that Seismic Centurion just kills me. I want to like it, because I love the Halfbad guys, but the guy that actually designed the toy, Smash Tokyo Toys, just doesn't have his act together. Based on every pic I've seen, the only reason that figure looks even passable is because the Halfbad guys had to put a ton of effort into making what they were given presentable.

First off, I didn't know that little Robit dude wasn't an original sculpt from Halfbad. Oh well. No biggie.

Next, I've mentioned motorbot before--he's the guy who made those fresh They Live formaldehyde face dudes. Definitely a talented guy. Even if a bit of a nutcase. I like some of his monster designs, but not others. But either way, they're all pretty interesting and very original. Just not all of them interest me.

As for your new minis, they're aiight. I mean, they look like Fruity Pebbles...or angry anuses...or both. I presume they're magnetic, though...which oughtta be cool.

Your painted Skekiltor ain't bad. I definitely like the 50/50 paint/unpaint idea--the translucent red looks pretty demonic. I just wish you had used more/different colors.

In your next post, you moved on to Paul Kaiju. Can't go wrong with that dude! King Jynx is very neat. They seem pretty big; do you know how much they cost? Also, they're obviously cast in multiple pieces--are any of the joints articulated? Chibi Welt is okay. Has a bit of a vintage mini vinyl vibe to it, but I'm not particularly in love with it. The Pollen Kaiser, however, drives me a little nuts. I really love the proportions on that thing! Very cool. And that Mock Bat is pretty sweet: the chest door is kinda insane!

I think the Mondocoyote/Mondocyte figures are aiight. I guess the thing that appeals to me the most about them is that they form a very strong "toy line". Obviously the format of the figures are all very similar, but the sculpts are still unique and interesting. Well-painted, too.

Ben Spencer's Galaxxor figures are pretty dope. He's trying to make a vinyl of it, apparently. Hope he's successful. But anyway, the resin guys out now are very neat. Are they articulated at all? I've seen some amazing paint jobs on these...along with neat collaborations with Onell (and the Godbeast, of course, who actually casts them).

Not really feeling the Splurt figures. Too cute and just not my thing. They look like they're of good quality, though, so if people dig 'em, that's cool...

And Dustin's Ankylosaurus is just fucking great. He showed me in-progress shots of the sculpt at Erik's a few months back, and I was pretty impressed with it then. I'm hoping I can snag one the next time they become available. Even with no articulation, he feels the most "toy-like" to me of most of these guys.

Anyway, I've got more resin casters to talk about. But please, for the fucking love of god, try to bring up no more than one or two makers/toy lines per post! Otherwise, there's no way to discuss this shit properly...

I thought the goal was to just bring up a lot of cool stuff so that people could see the variety of what's out there and discuss what they like. Course, it's ended up just being you and me going back and forth so far!

The Restore resin stuff is super nicely made, but the actual content does nothing for me. Then again, bitchez sure do love skullz.

Speaking of quality, it's kinda amazing to me that someone who's pushing the DIY toy movement closer to the quality and engineering of traditional garage kits (Paul) can exist in the same hobby as this:

Agreed. There's a spectrum of offerings out there. A very wide one. And one that may be heavily-weighted towards the end representing things many of us may not want to support. But shit-talking is not conducive to discussion. If someone on this board actually liked the figure above, now they're going to be less inclined to want to talk about it because of this air of negativity.

Let's just bring up shit we like, post pictures and links, and actually talk about why we like it (or hate it, in the case of disagreements). Maybe if casual readers see something they dig, too, they'll take these toys more seriously in general, and start collecting something they feel good about supporting. But that's less likely if there's a bitchfest every other day in the thread...

Alright, here's a guy who's stuff looks really good to me, but I haven't taken the plunge on anything, usually due to bad release timing. Cris Rose makes a ton of rusty, weathered mechanical customs, including his own design resin robots. I believe they are all designed on the computer and prototyped, because they are really sharp. He does fully painted releases:

The robots are supposed to be life sized, I think, and have all sorts of fun little back stories about being housekeeping and industrial helper robots. Interesting mecha work, but far different from the giant warrior robots we are used to on here.

^^I kinda dig these...never saw 'em before or heard of this guy. I also like how the theme isn't war/violence-themed. Kinda refreshing...and dare I say kid-friendly? (though I doubt these are marketed towards kids)

Prometheum5 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alright, here's a guy who's stuff looks really
> good to me, but I haven't taken the plunge on
> anything, usually due to bad release timing. Cris
> Rose makes a ton of rusty, weathered mechanical
> customs, including his own design resin robots. I
> believe they are all designed on the computer and
> prototyped, because they are really sharp. He
> does fully painted releases:
>
> [farm6.static.flickr.com]
> 3cbcdae_z.jpg
>
> And the more 'artsy' releases:
> [farm4.static.flickr.com]
> 58afc03_z.jpg
>
> The robots are supposed to be life sized, I think,
> and have all sorts of fun little back stories
> about being housekeeping and industrial helper
> robots. Interesting mecha work, but far different
> from the giant warrior robots we are used to on
> here.

"Agreed. There's a spectrum of offerings out there. A very wide one. And one that may be heavily-weighted towards the end representing things many of us may not want to support. But shit-talking is not conducive to discussion. If someone on this board actually liked the figure above, now they're going to be less inclined to want to talk about it because of this air of negativity."

SO glad I read the OMFG thread last week and emailed Halfbad. I just found out via his Google Plus feed that he's putting out some special editions before retiring the molds:
[halfbadtoys.bigcartel.com]
Each of those sets is LIMITED TO ONE!

I LOVE that gummy candy look on these "crystal neon" ones, so I snapped them up immediately:

Aaaand....they're quite gone. Dang, I didn't even realize there was just ONE of each set until after I'd thrown down for the blue glowies. I'm hoping these are rubbery, not rigid. We'll see. But for blue-glow? I'm not about to complain!

This thread kinda fell off, but resin is still awesome! I finished the first of my Cris Rose DIY minis, a Rotund. Took these quicky pics as soon as he was done today... standing about an inch tall, it's Emo Rotund! I wanted to try something different from just painting him army green.

Nice little piece. Wow, tiny for the details, and vivid color job there.
I do have to borrow a camera now (mine's trapped in a certain Spazer ride containing garage) and catch up on some cool pieces from the last couple months.

Things have been crazy busy lately, and don't show any sign of letting up now that grad school started, but I did have time to break in my new painting area by doing this DIY set of Cris Rose Bits and Bytes mini robots over the span of the last week!

Cris's resin robots are functional, yet cute. There are back stories to all of his designs. Cris imagines a world where robots are ubiquitous servants, everywhere from industrial labor to childcare. I had a great time painting up a pack of his recent Bits and Bytes mini-sized (1/24 scale) DIY ‘bots, each with their own background. Keep in mind each of these minis is around an inch tall. Below is a closeup of each, and the entire spread of photos can be found in the mega-post on my site:

Rotunds were designed as childcare robots, with the Mk2 model being designed as a companion for teenage years. Robots functioning as childcare machines of course begs the question, what happens when the child no longer needs the robot? Some might be kept as general household helpers, or go along with their now adult chargers, but what about a family that no longer needed or could not afford to maintain their Rotund Mk2? Some might end up cast out on their own, or traded second hand, or even abandoned. This sad little Rotund, named ‘Rob’ (short for ‘robot’) by its previous owner, has seen little use since his charge moved away. The once shiny white and blue kid-friendly colors have faded and chipped, and Rob is starting to rust. Fortunately for Rob, he still has his multi-purpose projection and sensor head, so he can still be useful.

I went with something a little different on the second Rotund Mk2 than my normal military heavily weathered colors. I painted the mini Rotund with more of a ‘theme’ than just ‘army’. He ended up looking like a pretty emo bot.

Rigels are general, all purpose Sprogs. Sprog is a term for a variety of helper robots for different functions. I envisioned this guy working in a chemical plant surrounded by all manner of pipes and vats, doing work that humans could not.

I wanted to do something a little more flashy with this Rundle, so I thought this guy might have been a service robot at a nice resort on the water. As the years went by, however, the resort went under and the water dried up, leaving this Rundle to keep watch over the desert that was once his home.

VenomMacbeth Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Having never put together a resin kit (or hell,
> even an unpainted model kit) I am hesitating...but
> I'm jonesing for this:
>
> [www.modelermagic.com]
>
> Sorry if this is the wrong place ><

Hey, if Ben can paint his resin "toys", I guess a resin model kit isn't too far of a stretch...

Anyway, I have yet to take the plunge on any Rose stuff, but it looks pretty groovy to me. Maybe someday...

So, new stuff. At In Living Kolor Boston last night, I got to see stuff by Dustin Nakagawa for the first time. He showed on on the Monster Kolor forum and seems to just do his own thing, which is great. I picked up this mini resin named Gamusa:

It's based on Zollmen's Zudon sculpt, but is tweaked slightly, and is pretty quality. The resin is really nice feeling, and he's hefty and rugged feeling. The paint is loose and funky, which matches the sculpt well. I also rescued a blank one that Dustin provided for the painting part of ILK, that someone *cough*Regan*cough* :P started to paint, dropped and broke the glue at the waist, and abandoned. I threw a magnet in the waist of the blank one, so now he swivels, and I'm going to try something different (for me) with the paint.

Wow, I can't believe I just found this thread. So cool. I just started making my own resin toys a few months ago. It kind of came out of my wanting to make stuff that just wasn't being made, that I wanted. Also because 3d printing is getting better and cheaper. My stuff is more WWIish than super robot but there's lot's of giant robot 80's toy influence. Wish I could have made it to the summit to show you guys some of the stuff. I will be going to NYCC so maybe I'll but into some people?

Thanks guys. Yeah the spider tank is something i've wanted for a while. Ghost in the shell stuff is neat but I wanted something more WWI or WWIIish.

They're tough. I always thought that resin was delicate, like glass almost, but the stuff I use comes out like a tough plastic. It is chemically speaking a plastic, just a two part mix that then cures, but I think the word plastic is a really broad term. It's really strong stuff, like those green army men you had as a kid and about as flexible, maybe a little stiffer. I tossed one in the air and it landed on my driveway fine, little scuffed, but intact.

Thanks, Paul and Sanjeev. Adam is an awesome guy as I'm sure you know. He's been supporting the project big time and really helping me out. Having someone of his talent want to paint my stuff is just a huge motivator. It really pushes me to make stuff that won't disappoint.

Sanjeev, it's funny that I found this thread because I want to eventually make a large "land battleship" toy for Rivet Wars, inspired by Yamato and Atragon. A week or so ago I was just watching your video review of the Atragon toy as ref :)

Heh...and I actually just picked up the M1 vinyl Atragon recently (along with the extra-long version 2 Manda). Totally kickass! And, yes, I'd LOVE to see what you come up with for a land battleship. Feel free to post pics (or links to your blog) here so we can see your stuff evolve!

Cool. That vinyl piece looks really nice. Here's a link to what I'm thinking for the land battleship thing. It's still really rough but I'm already stoked by the potential. It's like the marine landing attack ships used today. Carrier deck on top, with landing ramp in back for troops and tanks. I think it needs some more big turrets :)